History Of The Flag Of Pakistan

History of the flag of pakistan
The Pakistan Flag was designed by Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.

Historically, the Pakistan Flag has associations with the flag which was hoisted at Dhaka on December 30, 1906, when a meeting of the leaders representing the various Muslim political organizations of the South Asia subcontinent was held and the All-India Muslim League was formed. The flag used at Dhaka was green in colour with a white crescent and star in the centre. In the forty years of political struggle that followed the meeting at Dhaka, this flag was used continuously by the Muslim League. When these aspirations were fulfilled and Pakistan was established, it was felt that it would be in the fitness of things to incorporate the motif of this flag into the National Flag of Pakistan.

The Constituent Assembly of Pakistan met on the 11th of August, 1947, when Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan, the first Prime Minister of Pakistan, presented the National Flag to the Constituent Assembly for its formal approval. In the course of his speech on the occasion, Mr. Liaquat Au Khan observed: “Mr. President, the flag, it will be noticed, is not the flag of any one political party or any one community. The flag is the flag of the Pakistani nation, of the Pakistan State which has to come into existence on the 14th of August, 1947. I can say without any fear of contradiction that this flag which I have the honour to present to this House, will stand for freedom, liberty and equality for those who owe allegiance to this Flag of Pakistan. Mr. Fresident, this flag will be a flag of freedom not only for the people of Pakistan; this flag will be an emblem of peace and help in maintaining peace throughout the world.”

The National Flag of Pakistan is dark green in colour with a white vertical bar, a white crescent in the centre and a five-pointed star. The significance of the colour and symbols used in the Pakistan Flag is as follows:— The white and dark green field represents peace and prosperity. The crescent on the Flag represents progress. The five-rayed star represents light and knowledge.

Specifications
The Pakistan Flag is a dark green rectangular flag in the proportion of length to width 3:2 with a white vertical bar at the mast; the green portion bearing a white crescent in the centre and a five-pointed white heraldic star.

The size of the white portion is one-fourth the size of the flag, nearest the mast, the remainder three-fourths being dark green. The dimensions of the crescent and star are obtained as follows:— Draw the diagonal from the top right-hand corner
to the bottom left-hand corner of the green portion. On this diagonal establish two points ‘A’ and ‘B’. Point ‘A’ should be equidistant from top right and bottom left-hand corners of the green portion, i.e., the centre of the green portion. Point ‘B’ should be at a distance from the top right-hand corner equal to 13/20th of the width of the flag. With point ‘A’ as the centre and a radius equal to 3/10th of the width of the flag describe an arc. With point ‘B’ as centre and a radius equal to 11/40th of the width of the flag describe a second arc. The area enclosed by the two arcs forms the crescent. The dimensions of

the five-pointed white heraldic star are determined by drawing a circle with a radius equal to 1/10th of the width of the flag. The circle surrounds the five points of the heraldic star. The star lies with one point on the diagonal and pointing to the top right-hand corner of the flag. The tip of this point lies on the diagonal at a point where the larger arc, if completed, would cut the diagonal.
EXPLANATION

NM (width of flag) is equal to 2/3rd of NZ (lengh of flag).
NX (white portion) is equal to 1/4th of NZ (length of flag)
A is the middle point of XY & KZ (diagonals).
YB is equal to 13/20th of YZ (width of flag).
AO (radius of outer arc of crescent) is equal to 3/10 of Yz.
BT (radius of inner arc) is equal to 11/40th of YZ.
CL (radius of the circle surrounding the star) is equal to 1/10 of YZ.

The table below shows the required measurements in the various standard sizes of the flag:—Size of XZ NX AO BT CL Length the Flag a Unit

21’ x 14’ 189” 63” 504” 46 2 16 8” 8 4”
18 x 12’ 162” 54” 43 2” 39 6” 144” 7 2”
10 x 6 2/3 89 3 30 7” 24 7” 22 5” 8 3” 4”
9 3/8 x 6%’ 84 5 28” 22 5” 21” 7 5” 3 7”
6’ x 4’ 54” 18” 144” 13 2” 48” 24”
3’ x 2’ 27” 9” 7 2” 6 6” 2 4” 1 2”
12” x 8” 9” 3” 2 2” 2,2” 8” 4~I
6% x 4%” 4.7” 1.6” 1.3” 1.2” .4” .2”

The measurements can also be expressed in units as shown below:
NZ & NM are equal to 30 and 20 Units respectively while NX & XZ are equal to 7.5 and 22.5 Units respectively; AO = 6 Units; BT = 5.5 Units and CL = 2 Units.

The Pakistan Flag was designed by Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. The national flag of Pakistan is dark green in colour with a white bar, a white crescent in the centre and a five-pointed star. 

The significance of the colour and symbols used in the Pakistan Flag is as follows:

*The white and dark green field represents minorities & Muslim majority, respectively.
*The crescent on the flag represents progress.
*The five-rayed star represents light and knowledge.

Who was the designer of the Pakistan flag?
On a Pakistan government webpage it is reported that the the Pakistan flag was designed by Ameer-ud-din Khidwai.

The description of the flag is unchanged in a revised version of the page athttp://www.pak.gov.pk/Flag.aspx but the name of the designer has been changed: "The Pakistan Flag was designed by Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan."

The "Daily Times", 23 July 2008, quoting the Pakistan Press International (PPI) agency, lists yet another designer of the national flag:
"The death anniversary of Master Afzal Hussain, the man who designed the Pakistani flag, should be commemorated at a national level, urged Master Afzal Hussain Foundation Trust chairperson Qamar Sultana Monday. While addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club, she said that Hussain designed the national flag but the government had failed to recognize his services. [...] . Master Afzal died on July 16, 1987."

The Daily Times, Karachi - Friday, October 31, 2008, reported:
"Who made Pakistan's first flag, Afzal or Altaf?" 

KARACHI: Once again the controversy of who stitched the first Pakistani flag was brought into the light when Zahoorul Hassan, the son of Master Altaf Hussain, in a press conference at Karachi Club on Thursday, claimed that is father and not his uncle, Master Afzal Hussain, stitched the first Pakistani flag after the announcement of Partition in June 1947.Master Afzal Hussain was formally recognized by former premier Nawaz Sharif, as the person who stitched Pakistan's first flag.
Barrister Samin Khan accompanied Zahoor, who lives in Hyderabad, at the press conference. Zahoor stated that his cousins distorted the facts behind the story and deliberately stated that their father had stitched the flag, thus being awarded and recognized by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1996.

"I raised this issue many times in the past but no government after 1996 was interested in giving the rightful status to Master Altaf Hussain's family," he said.

Zahoor brought his fathers belongings to the press conference, including hisfather's All India Muslim League National Guards identity card and the photograph taken by an American photographer of Master Altaf stitching Pakistan's national flag in his New Delhi shop. Demanding that the present government should conduct a fair inquiry on the matter, he said that it should also give Master Altaf's family the appropriate status on a national level. Earlier, Barrister Samin Khan narrated his own story of how he and Margaret Bourke White, an American photographer working for Life magazine, witnessed Altaf stitching the Pakistani flag at Master Altaf Hussain's New Delhi shop on June 3 1947. "All India Muslim League Secretary General Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan summoned me to accompany the American photographer who wanted to take pictures of different parts of Delhi," said Barrister Samin adding that when they reached Master Altaf Hussain's shop, White photographed Master Altaf stitching the flag. "The pictures were published in the Life magazine's edition printed on Aug 18 1947, this proves Zahoorul Hassan's claim," he said.

Saying that Tehreek-e-Pakistan Karkunan gave a gold medal to Master Altaf Hussain who died in 1967, he stated that the current government should do the same.